Joe’s scoured various 49ers websites, news and analysis, and Joe can relay that nobody in the other Bay area is afraid of your Tampa Bay Buccaneers, despite national media gurus Mike Florio, Brian Baldinger and Bucs-fan basher Jason La Canfora predicting a victory for the pewter and red.
The only common worry in San Francisco is that the 49ers will have a letdown after their statement win against the mighty Seahawks. But there is at least a little concern in the land of legendary sourdough bread. [read more]
Joe has heard Bucs commander Greg Schiano called all sorts of things, bad, good and unprintable. Such is the life of a public figure. As Abraham Lincoln once said (allegedly), “You can’t please all the people all the time.”
There’s nothing quite like a good NFL Network “Playbook” Xs and Os preview look at a Bucs game.
Click here for the Bucs-Niners edition. There’s plenty of gushing about the 49ers from Sterling Sharpe and Shaun O’Hara, but Brian Baldinger is all about the Bucs defense. He’s jacked up about the Bucs’ 15 interceptions in the past six weeks.
Baldinger goes to film to show how, he believes, pure intimidation over the middle by Mark Barron led to one interception against Buffalo. “They’re looking to take you apart in the middle,” Baldinger said. He also dives into Bucs’ zone defenses and the reading ability of Dashon Goldson.
Sharpe and O’Hara call a Niners win, but Baldinger is all over the Bucs, believing Colin Kaepernick will have a troubling day.
Mason Foster is now in his third season at middle linebacker and Joe’s of the mind this has been his best season to date.
Foster was selected in the 2011 draft and, quite simply, Joe thought he was overwhelmed as he was an outside linebacker in college. That season, which saw then-coach Raheem Morris jettisoned, the Bucs arguably had the worst linebacking unit in the NFL. [read more]
A reporter asked Greg Schiano today how much slack” he might be willing to give his offensive staff, given all the injuries and changes, especially compared to having a healthy defense.
Schiano wouldn’t go there and explained there’s no free pass; offensive coaches are “bustin’ their guts.” He also cautioned that the Bucs have to be careful not to overthink their game planning. The full audio is below, via WDAE-AM 620. (That question comes last.)
Whatever the chatter, Joe’s confident Mike Sullivan needs a offensive resurrection in one of these last three games to get a shot at 2014.
Lavonte David is in the 49ers’ heads. From this CSN Bay Area report by Matt Maiocco, the 49ers have a plan to try to stop the Bucs’ great linebacker. Good luck.
Joe gets why national and local media get all nasty and sour over the attendance figures of the Buccaneers and Rays. It’s deserved at times, but mostly it’s a function of media types failing to do research, and attendance moaning is an easy way to fill space and air time.
But sometimes the darts cross a line, and Joe must call them out. Today is one of those days. [read more]
In a Buffalo beat down that featured a thoroughly dominant Bucs defense, a blown blocked punt by Dekoda Watson on the Bills’ first possession was barely an afterthought.
But rest assured it drew plenty of attention from the punt-block obsessed New Schiano Order. [read more]
Bucs safety Dashon Goldson, who played for San Francisco last season, has been a valuable resource of intel, said Darrelle Revis.
In today’s NFL, there are few if any secrets. The eye in the sky doesn’t lie. If offers every tendency, nook and cranny teams have on the field.
The All-22 isn’t just available to coaches, but to anyone willing to buy a subscription to NFL Game Rewind. But football coaches, a paranoid lot by nature, are convinced secrets can still be learned — and revealed — through covert missions and operations.
Consider Bucs safety “The Hawk,” Dashon Goldson, an agent of espionage, at least for this week. [read more]
49ers WR Michael Crabtree was limited in practices this week with a bum ankle.
OK, take a guess which team is the worst in the NFL in passing yards? No, not the Bucs (but close, the Bucs are No. 31). It’s the mighty 49ers who have thrown for a league-worst 2,318 yards through 13 games.
This has led some to believe that 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is wildly overrated. Maybe. In his first full season as the 49ers quarterback (remember, he took over for Alex Smith in the middle of the season last year), Kaepernick may have taken a step back because his favorite receiver, Michael Crabtree, was lost to an injury for most of the year.
Crabtree had an Achilles injury and only recently returned. His former teammate and current Bucs safety, “The Hawk,” Dashon Goldson, hinted missing Crabtree played a part in Kaepernick’s decline.
Davis became agitated. Despite the excitement of his first Super Bowl media session, Davis wanted no part of Joe’s line of questioning, ‘I’m not talking about Schiano.”
Well, Davis remains about that sunny about his college coach. [read more]
Some six years ago, 49ers uber-talented tight end Vernon Davis was ordered to his locker room during a game by then 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, who later in his postgame press conference memorably unloaded on Davis, claiming he was too selfish to play for him.
“Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach them,” Singletary said of players like Davis, adding that he would rather play with 10 men. “Can’t do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win.” [read more]
Bucs safety Mark Barron is all alone in one specific defensive statistical category.
Many Bucs fans howled in protest when Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik passed on drafting cornerback Mo Claiborne in the 2012 draft, only to trade down and select safety Mark Barron.
After a shaky start to his NFL career, though showing moments of promise (just ask Robert Griffin, III), many Bucs fans shook their heads and taunted Dominik for what they perceived as a bad pick. [read more]
Each week Greg Bedard, the Xs and Os guy from theMMQB.com, breaks down and grades defensive linemen and defensive lines in the NFL. This week something jumped out at Joe.
Yes, once again, Bedard rates Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as the second-best tackle in the game (trailing only Houston’s J.J. Watt). So for the GMC haters, just admit you were wrong. You will feel better. Otherwise, just crawl under a rock for everyone else’s sake. [read more]
There’s nothing quite like a good NFL Network “Playbook” Xs and Os preview look at a Bucs game.
Greg Schiano is no fan of common NFL chatter that doesn’t expect or account for players improving during a season.
